After years of war and conflict, the people of Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria believed that liberation would bring peace and stability. But the hope faded quickly. The city has slipped back into fear – assassinations, bombings and constant insecurity – with many blaming local and regional power struggles. As worry grows, residents are speaking out, asking for real steps to bring back what they have lost: a sense of safety in a city that has not known calm for over a decade.
“We thought the nightmare was over,” says Ahmad al-Ahmad (not his real name), a resident of al-Mayadeen, speaking to +963. “We rebuilt our dreams from the rubble, but now we are prisoners of fear. We can’t go to the markets or even to government offices to sort out papers. The security patrols that are supposed to protect us have become targets for bombings. The government talks about restoring order, but all we see is smoke from explosions and people living in fear.”
He adds, “Every blast makes our hearts stop. We spend most of our time behind our walls. Who can promise that the next explosion won’t hit a school, a shop or a market? We live in an open prison, and the guards are the kidnappers.”
Between Liberation and Disillusionment
Hussein al-Mahmoud, another local resident, tells +963, “When Deir Ezzor was freed from years of Iranian and regime control, it was a great moment. We all felt hope for a better future. But things went downhill fast. The security situation is terrible – assassinations, attacks on patrols and government offices, and daily reports of killings and bombings. People are scared.”
He continues, “Children can’t go to school, and families avoid public gatherings. Some have already left the city. We know Deir Ezzor’s wide landscape gives room for ISIS and Iranian-backed groups to move, but as civilians we just want to feel safe in our homes. There must be serious action to stop these cells.”
In al-Asharah, east of Deir Ezzor, Ali al-Obeid (a pseudonym) speaks with sadness. “The joy of liberation felt like a dream, but we woke up to a nightmare,” he says. “We thought evil had ended, but this new evil is cleverer. The assassinations and explosions have made us afraid to live normally. We worry about our children at school, about going to the market – it feels like something dark is always watching.”
He adds, “The biggest danger comes from ISIS remnants. They know the land and move among us easily. Their ideas didn’t disappear – they just went underground. But who is giving them weapons and money? The Iranians lost control here, and now they seem to want to burn what they couldn’t keep. The bombs that hit patrols are the same kind used by their militias. They choose their targets carefully to spread fear and make the new government look weak.”
Ali explains that fear protects these groups. “We see strangers moving at night, but people are too scared to report them. We don’t trust that the authorities can protect us from revenge. The attackers strike and then vanish. The government is trying, but the area is huge and there aren’t enough troops. The solution must mix security and social work. We need real projects to give young people jobs, so they don’t turn to violence. The people of Deir Ezzor know every corner of this land – if the government wins their trust, it will win the fight. Cutting off smuggling routes from Iraq is also vital – that will need international help.”
Read also: Shadow Conflict in Deir Ezzor: Iran’s Quiet Persistence in Syria
A Complicated Security Situation
A security officer in Deir Ezzor, who asked not to be named, tells +963, “The situation here is complex. After liberation, people expected stability, but we faced big challenges from hidden terrorist cells. The area is wide and open – especially the desert – which gives ISIS space to operate. And because Deir Ezzor borders Iraq, Iranian-backed groups still use some crossings to move weapons and money.”
He adds, “This month alone, 18 people have been killed, including 11 from the security services. Attacks are also hitting civilians. We have arrested eight suspects so far – some linked to Iran and others to ISIS – and they were planning bigger attacks. We understand people’s fear of reporting suspicious movements, so we’re working on ways to protect informants. We are building trust and improving our counter-terrorism plans. We’re also talking with international partners to secure the border and stop weapons from getting through.”
Between Fear and Fragile Hope
The voices from Deir Ezzor are a cry for help – one that both the government in Damascus and the world should hear. People are not asking for much, only for their right to live safely and with dignity. Solving this crisis needs more than armed patrols. It requires better intelligence work, cutting off funding and smuggling networks, dismantling sleeper cells, and most of all rebuilding trust between people and the authorities.
The fading hope in Deir Ezzor is not fate – it is the result of years of neglect and failure. Stopping the slide is a shared responsibility, and it must happen before it is too late.
